Pierre André Latreille

Pierre André Latreille (November 20, 1762 - February 6, 1833) was a French entomologist. His works describing insects assigned many of the insect taxa still in use today.

Related Topics:
November 20 - 1762 - February 6 - 1833 - French - Entomologist - Insect - Taxa

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Latreille was born into a humble family of Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze, and in 1778 entered the college Lemoine in Paris. He was ordained a priest in 1786 and then went back to Brive, where he spent all of his free time studying insects. In 1788 he returned to Paris and became active in the scientific community there, his Mémoire sur les mutilles découvertes en France gaining him admission to the Society for Natural History.

Related Topics:
Brive-la-Gaillarde - Corrèze - 1778 - College Lemoine - Paris - Priest - 1786 - 1788 - Society for Natural History

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As a priest with conservative leanings, the French Revolution made his situation uncomfortable; he left Paris, and was later imprisoned at Bordeaux. In 1796 he published Précis des caractères génériques des insectes, disposés dans un ordre naturel at Brive.

Related Topics:
French Revolution - Bordeaux - 1796

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In 1798 he was given the task of arranging the entomological collection at the recently organized Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris; in 1814 he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences (succeeding G. A. Olivier), and in 1821 he was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was professor of zoology in the veterinary school at Alfort near Paris, and in 1830, when the chair of zoology of invertebrates at the Museum was divided after the death of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Latreille was appointed professor of zoology of crustaceans, arachnids and insects, the chair of molluscs, worms and zoophytes being assigned to Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville.

Related Topics:
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle - Paris - French Academy of Sciences - G. A. Olivier - Legion of Honor - Zoology - Invertebrates - Jean-Baptiste Lamarck - Crustacean - Arachnid - Mollusc - Worm - Zoophyte - Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville

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The crab genus Latreillia is named in his honour.

Related Topics:
Crab - Latreillia

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